ReviewHormone and metabolic research = Hormon- und Stoffwechselforschung = Hormones et metabolisme2022
COVID-19 Infections in Gonads: Consequences on Fertility?
Review in Hormone and metabolic research = Hormon- und Stoffwechselforschung = Hormones et metabolisme, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Immune-Mediated SARS-CoV-2-Induced Orchitis Leading to Complete Testicular Failure: A Report of a Rare Case.Cureus · 2026Article
- A multidisciplinary review of long COVID to address the challenges in diagnosis and updated management guidelines.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2025Review
- Hormonal Status and Quality of Life of Women Treated for Infertility Before and During COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Abnormal uterine bleeding and fertility challenges secondary to long COVID: A case report.SAGE open medical case reports · 2025Article
- Implications of Dysnatremia and Endocrine Disturbances in COVID-19 Patients.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- The Multi-faceted Effects of COVID-19 on Female Reproductive Health: An Updated Narrative Review.Cureus · 2024Review
- Potential Beneficial Effects of Naringin and Naringenin on Long COVID-A Review of the Literature.Microorganisms · 2024Review
- COVID-19 and menstrual-related disturbances: a Spanish retrospective observational study in formerly menstruating women.Frontiers in global women's health · 2024Article
- SARS-CoV-2 infection and its effects on the endocrine system.Best practice & research. Clinical endocrinology & metabolism · 2023Review
- Gender Differences in Response to COVID-19 Infection and Vaccination.Biomedicines · 2023Review
- Effects of COVID-19 Infection and Vaccination on the Female Reproductive System: A Narrative ReviewBalkan medical journal · 2023Review
- SARS-CoV-2 infection and multi-organ system damage: A review.Biomolecules & biomedicine · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
COVID-19 may influence human fertility and sexuality in several ways. Different cell types in gonads show a constitutive expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine subtype 2 (TMPRSS2), which provide potential entry pathways for SARS-CoV-2. In addition to the biological effects of a COVID-19 infection on the gonads, the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on mental health issues and sexual behavior may affect reproduction. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the influence of COVID-19 on the gonads and discusses possible consequences on human fertility. In this context, the close interaction between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in response to COVID-19-related stress is discussed. Some women noticed changes in their menstrual cycle during the COVID-19 pandemic, which could be due to psychological stress, for example. In addition, occasional cases of reduced oocyte quality and ovarian function are described after COVID-19 infection. In men, COVID-19 may cause a short-term decrease in fertility by damaging testicular tissue and/or impairing spermatogenesis. Moreover, decreased ratio testosterone/LH and FSH/LH in COVID-19 compared to aged-matched healthy men has been reported. Available data do not suggest any effect of the available SARS-CoV-2 vaccines on fertility. The effects of long COVID on human fertility have been reported and include cases with premature ovarian failure and oligomenorrhoea in women and erectile dysfunction in men. Despite the increasing knowledge about the effects of COVID-19 infections on human gonads and fertility, the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic cannot yet be assessed in this context.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.